Stem winding and setting mechanism for watches



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D. H. CHURCH. STEM WINDING AND SETTING MECHANISM FOR WATCHES.

No. 379,050. Patented Mar. 6, 1888.

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' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DUANE H. CHURCH, OF NEWTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

STEM WINDING AND SETTlNG MECHANISM FOR WATCHES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 379.050, dated March 6, 1888.

Application filed April 18, 1887.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DUANE H. CHURCH, of Newton, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Stem-Winding and Stem-Setting Devices for Watches, of which the following is a specification.

In nearly all forms of keyless watches-i. 6., watches so constructed as to enable the operation of winding the mainspring to be performed by turning the pendant-crown-there is some form of device to disconnect the-crown from the mainspring and connect it with the dial-train, (the wheels and pinions which carry the hands,) to enable the hands to be set by the rotation of the crown as in winding. In most watches this shifting mechanism is in the form of a lever or cam, one end of which projects from edge of the movement under the dial, and which, when moved by the finger, changes the connection, for the purpose before mentioned. It is always desirable, however, to cause this shifting from connection with mainspring to hands by an outward longitudi nal movement of the crown and windingbar, technically so called, (the rod of steel or other metal which connects the crown with the winding and setting mechanism of the.

movement,)the reverse movement of the crown causing the change from connection with hands to mainspring. This is usually done by placing the lever or cam with one end in engagement with a circumferential groove in winding-bar, and when the latter is moved outwardly by the longitudinal motion of crown the action of the lever is the same as when the end projects from the movement and is manipulated directly by hand. In certain forms of stem winding and setting mechanism this is Serial No. 235,208. (No model.)

round hole through its axial center, having spur or bevel teeth connected by suitable means with the mainspring and. placed near the periphery of the movement, with its axis parallel to the plates and radial to the center, the inner side of this pinion having ratchet or clutch teeth. (See Fig. 1.) Inside and in axial line with this pinion is the clutch, usually having a square hole through its axis and a peripheral groove formed at its outer end with clutchteeth to correspond with those of the pinion, the inner end having crown gearteeth to correspond with some member of dialtrain. (See Fig. 2.) This member of the dialtrain has its center on. the same radial line that passes through the axis of the pinion and clutch; but its axis is at a right angle or vertical to the plates of the movement. The distance between the windingpinion and this wheel is enough greater than the length of the clutch to permit the latter to ratchet over the clutch-teeth of the pinion without coming into contact with the wheel; but when the clutch is forced inward for the purpose of setting the hands its crown teeth engage the wheel and the clutch-teeth disengage from the winding-pinion. The axis or arbor on which the winding-pinion and clutch are journaled is usually the inner end of the winding-bar,which is long enough to reach through them, and has a pivot or journal at the inner end, a square to freely fit the hole through the clutch, a cylindrical portion to freely fit the hole in the winding-pinion and for bearing in plates outside the pinion, all at suitable distances, and the crown at the outer end.

As the crown is a free fit on the outside of pendant, this arrangement gives three bearings for the winding-bar, which must be almost exactly in axial line, and renders the easing extremely difficult. The best specimens of this class of watches are made by Patel; Phillippe & 00., Geneva. W'atches of this make are shiftable from winding to setting by a longitudinal movement of the crown and winding-bar; but it is necessary to take the movement partially apart in the case before the plates can be removed, and interchangeability is impossible. Another form consists in putting the axis or arbor on .which is journaled the pinion and clutch permanently between the plates of the movement, the outer end projectin g beyond the periphery and being squared to take a key-pipe, which is attached to the crown. This form is interchangeable; but the engagement with the handsetting is necessarily by a lever, cam, or push-piece through the case-center. \Vatches of this form are made by the American Vatch Company, TValtham.

The object of my improvement is, first, to produce watchmovements of the class described which shall require no special fitting to any particular case, and in which the wind ing and handsetting shall be performed by the rotary and longitudinal movements of the crown; second, to give better method of engagement and disengagement between the setting-lever and winding-bar,whereby its construction is simplified and the cost lessened; third, to prevent the occasional jumping of hands, which is universal in this form of con struction, when theshifting from winding to setting is caused by a longitudinal movement of the crown and bar.

To this end my invention consists in the improvements which I will now proceed to describe and claim.

Of the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 represents that side of the pillar-plate of a watch on which the top plate bears, the top plate and the wheels of the train removed, showing the winding-bar adapted for winding. Fig. 2represents the reverse or dial side of the same plate and shows the wheels of the dial-train and their relation to the setting mechanism. Fig. 3 shows the top plate of the movementin position on the pillarplate. Fig. 4 represents a similar View to Fig. 1, excepting that the mechanism is in position for setting the hands. Fig. 5 represents a longitudinal section of the sliding sleeve or clutch and the winding-pinion. Fig. 6 represents a longitudinal section of the arbor on which the winding pinion and the sliding sleeve are mounted. Fig. 7 represents the winding-bar with crown attached. Figs. 8 and 9 represent sections on line a: m,

Fig. 3, respectively showing the shiftinglever as secured and as released by its pivot. Figs. 10 and 11 represent side views of the shiftinglever and parts of the pillar-plate and winding-bar.

The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.

In the drawings, a represents the pillarplate.

represents the winding-pinion located in a recess in said plate and rotating loosely on the winding-arbor c, which is journaled on a stud, d, affixed to the pillar-plate by a screw, 6, and entering a socket-,f, formed in the inner end of said arbor; or the arbor may project into a socket in the pillar-plate. At a proper distance from the outer end the arbor 0 has a circumferential enlargement, c, which enters a corresponding recess in the inner side of the winding-pinion b, and prevents the arbor having outward movement in its axial line. The outer end of the winding-arbor is within, or, in other words, does not project outside of, the margin of the pillar-plate.

At the outer end the arbor c is provided with a square socket, 9, that receives the squared inner end of the winding-bar h, the latter being longitudinally movable in said socket, while the winding'arbor is not capable of longitudinal movement, but is prevented from moving in one direction by the stud (Z and in the opposite direction by its bearings in the winding-pinion I) and in the plates a r, as shown in Fig. 5.

Theinner portion, 2, of the windingarbor is squared to engage a square socket in a sleeve. t, which is adapted to slide longitudinally on the arbor, and is caused by the squared socket and. the corresponding portion of the arbor to rotate with said arbor when the latter is rotated by the winding-bar. Said sleeve has its inner end formed with crownteeth i, adapted to engage the first of the series of wheels 4 5 6, con stituting the dialtrain. The opposite end of the sleeve '5 is formed as a clutch, 1', adapted to engage a similar clutch, I), formed on the inner side of the windingpinion. I

represents a spring which is attached at one end to the pillar-plate, its free opposite end entering a peripheral groove, Z, in the sleeve 1:, and normally holding said sleeve with its clutch i in engagement with the clutch I) of the winding-pinion, as shown in Fig. 1, so that the winding pinion is normally in condition to be rotated by the winding-bar, the crownteeth t" being disengaged from the corresponding wheel, 4, of the dial-train by the normal action of the spring k.

m represents a shiftinglever which is adapted to oscillate on a center, a, alfixed to the pillar-plate, and hasa shorter arm projecting into a peripheral groove, 0, in the winding-arbor, and a longer arm which cooperates with a shouldexgp, on the spring 7c, in the manner next described.

It will be seen that when the spring k is in its normal position the longer arm of the shiftinglever bears against the shorter face of the shoulder 12 on said spring, as shown in Fig. 1, the winding-bar being necessarily at theinner extreme of its movement, to permit the spring to assume its normal position. When the winding-bar is pulled outwardly, it moves the shifting-lever on itspivot and causes the longer arm thereof to press against the shorter side of the shoulder 12, and thereby displace the spring 70 until said arm bears upon the longer side of the shoulder 12, as shown in Fig. 4, the spring being locked in said position by theshifting-lever. Themovementthusgiventhespring 70 causes the latter to move the sleeve 13 until the clutch i is separated from the clutch b of the winding-pinion, and the crownteeth i are engaged with the wheel t of the dial-train, thus causing the rotation of the windingbar to set the hands.

The free end of the spring 76 is provided with a longitudinal slot, whereby a supplemental siaoso I 1 3 spring, '7, is formed, which enables the sleeve i to yield when the main body of the spring is rigidly supported by the shifting-lever, Fig. 4. The yielding movement of the sleeve thus permitted enables the sleeve to stop in case its crown-wheel teeth do not coincide with the spaces between theteeth of the wheel 4 of the dial-train, so that in'such event the sleeve will not rotate the wheels of the dial-train by its endwise movement, and thus cause the hands to jumpfl as it would if not enabled to yield in the manner described.

The center or pivot n, on which the shiftinglever m swings, is a screw having an enlargement, 8, formed with a beveled periphery. The screw works in a threaded socket-in the pillar-plate, and when turned to place the enlargement 8 bears on the pillar-plate, and its beveled periphery enters and fits closely abeveled orifice, 9, in the shifting-lever m, as shown in Fig. 9, thus preventing any but a rotary oscillating movementof the shifting-lever on said screw. On the other hand, when the screw 12 is partially withdrawn from its socket in the pillar-plate, so as to remove the enlargement 8 from the orifice 9 in the shifting-lever, the latter can be moved edgewise until its shorter arm is out of engagement with the winding-bar to permit the removal of the latter, as shown in Fig. 11. It will be seen that by this construction the removal of the winding-bar may be effected by partially withdrawing the screw. Said screw projects through or into an orifice formed for it in the top plate, r, so that it can be operated by a screw-driver without the removal of the top plate from the pillar-plate, a few turns of the screw in one direction serving to loosen the lever, so that it will release the winding-bar, while a few turns in the opposite direction cause the screw to hold the shifting-lever in engagement with the wind ing-bar.

It will be seen that the winding-bar is operatively engaged with the watch-movement by devices entirely within the movement, so that no especial fitting of the movement to the case is required and no necessity exists for providing the case or the pendant thereof with devices for holding the Winding-bar respectively at the inward and outward extremes of its movement.

I am aware that in watches in which the change from winding to setting is effected by an endwise movement of the winding-bar a sliding sleeve having at one end crown-teeth to engage a Wheel of the dial-train, and at the other end a clutch to engage a clutch on the winding-pinion, has been arranged to be rotated by a winding-bar, and to be moved endwise by shifting devices operated by the endwise movement of the winding-bar; butinvariably heretofore the winding-bar has extended as a single piece from the crown to and through the said sliding sleeve, so that the movement cannot be easily removed from and applied to the case, and therefore is not interchangeable.

It will be seen that in my improved watch the sliding sleeve is mounted on a windingarbor, constituting a part of the movement, and not separable therefrom, While the winding-bar is short and extends only into the socket of the windingarbor, and is separable from the latter and from the movement, so that the movement is freely interchangeable.

I claim 1. In a pendant winding and setting watch, the combination, with the winding and dial trains, the winding-pinion and gearedsliding clutch-sleeve which respectively impel said trains, and the pivoted locking-lever and the shifting-lever which control said sleeve, of the winding-arbor located wholly within the margin of the pillar-plate and prevented from endwise movement by its bearings, and the longitudinally-movable winding-bar having a rotative engagement with the winding-arbor within the margin of the pillar-plate and engaged with the pivoted locking-lever, as set forth.

2. The combination, in a pendant winding and setting watch-movement, of the socketed winding-arbor located wholly within the margin of the pillar-plate and prevented from moving endwise by its bearings, the longitudinally-movable winding-bar, which projects into the movement, has no positive connection with the case, and is separably engaged with the socket of the winding-arbor, asleeve which is movable on and rotatable by the windingarbor and is adapted to be engaged alternately with the winding-pinion and with a member of the dial-train, and the intermediate shiftinglever and clutch-spring, engaged, respectively, with the winding-bar and the sliding sleeve, said lever serving to detachably connect the winding-bar with themovement, as set forth.

3. In a pendant winding and setting Watchmovement, the dial-train, the winding-pinion having a clutch member, and the sliding sleeve having the clutch and the crown-teeth,adapted, respectively, to engage the clutch of the winding'pinion and a member of the dial-train, combined withthe socketed winding-arborsupporting said sleeve, located wholly within the margin of the pillar-plate and prevented from endwise movement by devices substantially as described, the male winding-bar which projects into the movement and is longitudinally movable in and separable from the socket of the winding-arbor, said winding-bar having no positive connection with the case, the shifting-lever engaged with the winding-bar and detachably securing the latter to the movement, and the clutch-spring engaged with the sliding sleeve and arranged to be operated by the shifting-lever, as set forth.

4:. The shifting-lever engaged, as described, with the winding-bar and secured to the Watchplate by a screw having abeveled enlargement fitting a beveled orifice in the lever, whereby the lever may be secured and loosened by adjustments of the screw, as set forth.

5. The combination of the dial-train, the socketed winding-arbor, the sliding sleeve on IIO said arbor having crown-teeth formed to engageamember ofsaid train, thelongitudinallymovable Winding-bar, the shiftingdevor engoged with said bar, andan arm or lex'er, as 7c, which is operated by the shiftingdever and moves said sleeve toward the dial-train, and is provided with a spring, as 7, whereby the sleeve is permitted to yield when its teeth do not properly coincide with the teeth of the corresponding member of the dial-train, as set w forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence oftwo snhscribing witnesses, this 1 1th day of April, 1887.

' DUANE H. CHURCH.

\Vitnesses:

O. F. BROWN, A. D. HARRISON. 

